Critical Review Battleground Essays - Agnosticism, Atheism

Critical Review: Battleground Stephen Bates Battleground is a non fictional book that tells the story of a protest, by a group of parents against what they see as "secular humanism" in a public school reading series designed for elementary, middle and high school students. The protest eventually turned into a lawsuit in 1983 known as Mozert, who was the leader of the group that was protesting (COBS), versus the Hawkins county board of education. The book begins by describing how the protest began from the beginning. A child, Sarah Frost, had some trouble with her school work and asked her mother, Vicki Frost, to help her. As Vicki read through the textbook she found that some of the stories were contrary to what her religion taught her, so she made some phone calls and eventually found a group of people who shared her same beliefs and offense to the readers. Eventually she and her friend Jennie Wilson were able to stir up enough people to attend an emergency meeting, where they explained their problems with the Holt readers to anyone who was interested, which at that point was not many people. Frost and Wilson were persistent. They went to the school board meeting and further explained their opposition of the readers to the school board, but they were ignored by the school board. They were discouraged, but they fought for their cause and continues to try to work with the principals and teachers of their children; while in the meantime they formed a group they called Citizens Organized for Better Schools, or COBS. They had meetings regularly and were able to get some of their "suggestions" recognized by the school board, but they were never able to achieve their main goal of Gadson 2 making alternate school books available for the children who's faith was "burdened" by the Holt readers. Their efforts eventually resulted in the jailing of Vicki Frost, which made a lawsuit unavoidable in their eyes. The end result (after two large organizations, the Concerned Women for America, and the People for the American Way became not only involved, but the actual voice if the litigants), three years later, was a decision that the children would be able to"opt-out" of the offensive reading class and be home schooled on the one subject, but still attend regular classes for the rest of the day. This decision was later overturned after an appeal. Stephen Bates tells this story in an almost fictional type way, so it is easy to forget that this is a true story, and did not take place long ago, but Bates reminds the reader of the reality during his detailed and lengthy interludes and in one case an entire chapter on the history of education and the separation of church and state. His details, though they might seem boring to anyone who is not really interested in the history of education, does bring validity to many of the issues. The main issue of this book is the first amendment. Both sides of the argument had valid issues. Frost, although I did not see the Witchcraft, Hinduism or any other anti-Christian suggestions in the passages that were mentioned in the book, had every right to state that she did not want her children reading these books, she is a parent and her and her husband have the responsibility of raising her children in a way that they feel thinks is moral and religious. It is a shame that someone in Frost's situation, with a valid argument, would have to worry that the school might teach her children the exact opposite of what she is trying to teach them. The school board and others continued to ask why she wouldn't put her children in a private Christian school, but why should she have to pay for education when part of her taxes are already going toward what should be a decent education for her children? Gadson 3 At the same time, the mere fact that she is not directly paying for the education of her education puts her in a position where she has to keep an open mind. The passages that she was opposed to were ridiculous. They were fictional stories, they were not the wicca creed. Anyone can see irreligious suggestions in almost anything. How does the court decide what is really "secular humanism" or implications of any religion? All judges and textbook sorters would have to be well read in all religions, this is nearly impossible. The only thing they

Sample Essay Explication

Sample Essay ExplicationOne of the best aspects of learning to write is to write a sample essay. Not only will you get to see your writing in action, but you will also learn about essay format and common pitfalls that can trip up even the most experienced essay writers. It is not enough to merely know what you are doing with your essays, so instead you will want to focus on methods that will help you avoid the most common mistakes of a novice writer.When it comes to writing an essay, the simple fact is that no two students are going to write alike. For example, they may very well have very different attitudes toward grammar and structure, as well as the ability to express themselves clearly and concisely. Because of this, essay sample explication is extremely important. Even the most well-meaning teachers cannot fully anticipate every student's writing style, and if you do not provide an explanation for your own essay, others will not be able to pick up on the thought process that go es into it. It is your responsibility to create a sample essay that will teach others what you learned.The first thing you want to make sure you take note of is the title of your essay. Some students look at the title as the first thing that catches their eye, while others think that it is part of the essay itself. It is important to make sure that your title doesn't slip out of your head; try to make sure that you start your essay name with a capital letter. This ensures that you will always see your essay title when you are reading through your work, and that you will find yourself compelled to write the article or essay at some point.If your lesson plan is based on a popular event or a piece of literature, consider including a relevant quote or scene from that piece of literature in your essay. For example, if you are teaching an American history course, you could choose to include a quotation from a famous author or a phrase from a popular song. These are especially useful for s tudents who are planning to write something on a wide variety of topics, as it allows them to explore ideas and themes, rather than just introducing the content of the essay.Just to make sure that you are on the right track, you should include an initial disclaimer and a short summary of the story that is included in your essay. After the disclaimer, you will then need to begin discussing each of the information in your essay, and this will require you to give your students a clear idea of the overall plot and what is happening in the essay.When it comes to exposition, it is important to let your essay speak for itself. You will want to provide your students with the clearest explanation of the whole idea that you are presenting, and it is important to put your own thoughts into your writing. However, you do not want to leave readers hanging, so it is also important to include any other evidence that you have related to the particular topic that you are teaching in your essay.After you have created a clear outline for your lesson plan, consider adding in any other ideas that you have as well. You will want to encourage all of your students to think critically and creatively in order to become successful writers, so it is important to make sure that you stay on track with your lessons and your essay writing.